The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP) continues to grapple with internal disagreements on seat-sharing for the upcoming assembly elections, even as the nomination deadline approaches on October 29.
According to a report by PTI, the conflicting statements from Maharashtra Congress leaders on different seat allocation strategies have added to the tension. This has drawn amusement from BJP observers.
Recently, MVA announced plans for each party to contest 85 seats in the November 20 elections for the 288-member Assembly. However, Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat proposed an alternative ‘90-90-90’ formula. Thorat met with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the matter on Saturday.
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When asked about Congress potentially contesting over 100 seats, Thorat said he hadn’t counted but emphasised Congress would compete as an MVA member, predicting the alliance would win 180 seats and form the government. He also noted that MVA reserved 18 seats for other allied parties.
"AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge asked me to conduct negotiations through mutual understanding. Talks are on about certain seats in Mumbai," he said. Thorat stated that he and Thackeray discussed plans for campaign events and the manifesto.
The internal tensions were underscored by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s call for "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" within the alliance. Raut also voiced frustration with smaller allies, like the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), for announcing candidates without consensus.
SP’s Maharashtra chief Abu Azmi cautioned that if MVA fails to agree with smaller parties, SP may contest 20-25 seats independently. “Haryana Congress contested on all seats but could not form the government. So they have to take everyone along. If anyone needs the ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ slogan, it is the MVA,” Raut said.
He added that the talks are on with Abu Azmi. "Azmi will get his two constituencies but he has declared candidates for some seats. Peasants and the Workers Party declared their seats. This is not right. People get upset if anyone from MVA does this. We will continue our talks,” Raut further added.
Jayant Patil Claims Seat-Allocation Formula Not Yet Finalised
State NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil stated that no final seat-sharing formula has been established within the MVA alliance. He emphasised that seat decisions are based on candidate winnability. “Ninety or eighty-five seats – no formula has been fixed. Whoever can win, that party will be considered. Our effort is to put forth our best candidate,” Patil said, news agency PTI reported.
When asked about the proposed ‘90-90-90’ arrangement for MVA partners, suggested by Balasaheb Thorat, Patil responded that “one or two seats may remain contested here and there.” Both Sena (UBT) and Congress have expressed interest in contesting over 100 seats of the 288 total.
Mahayuti Alliance Not Yet Finalised
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is also yet to finalise its seat-sharing arrangement, as three alliance members have overlapping claims on certain constituencies. On Saturday, Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule noted that discussions are ongoing between BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP factions over seven to eight seats, dismissing any discord.
"We are fighting like a family - taking everyone, including the elder brother and younger brother, along. The BJP will also come out with a joint manifesto tomorrow," he said.
Till now, BJP has announced candidates for 121 seats, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Shiv Sena faction under Eknath Shinde each declared 45 candidates. In the MVA bloc, Congress has named 71 candidates, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) 67, and Shiv Sena (UBT) 65.